The 10 Scariest Analog Horror In 2024

Some of the most inventive and frightening storytelling happens in the analog space. The Wild West of experimental genre stories has no rules and isn’t bound by traditional film and television structure. It also doesn’t get hampered by fat cat executives trying to shove a square peg inside a round hole. Marble Hornets brought a Slender Man-type monster to life, and CH/SS took MK Ultra-type conspiracies to a new level. Sure, some of these stories go on to become serialized or feature-length programming, but the skeleton of the tale remains, making it more exciting than most offerings not from A24 or Neon. If you are looking to get lost for a few hours, days, weeks, or months, these are the best places to look.

1. The Mandela Catalogue: Dive into a world where familiar faces morph into unsettling doppelgangers, cryptic messages invade everyday life, and the lines between reality and delusion blur. Created by Alex Kister on YouTube, this multi-layered series has amassed millions of views and spawned countless theories. Bonus points: No prior knowledge needed, just an open mind and a healthy dose of curiosity. It is creepy, and you can easily get lost in this expansive story for weeks. If you are into conspiracy theories and the paranormal, this is the series for you.

2. Local 58: Imagine stumbling upon a local TV station broadcasting unsettling PSAs, bizarre weather reports, and disturbing children’s shows. This YouTube series by Kris Straub masterfully blends found footage, unsettling imagery, and cryptic narratives to create a truly unnerving experience. Warning: Prepare for existential dread and potential rabbit holes of hidden lore. A spin-off of Channel Zero’s Candle Cove, it has all the same unsettling nightmare fuel of the original story but with even more layers. This is Lovecraftian horror for a new world and is an easy series to take small bites of. Beware, it is hard to stop watching once you get started, though, so either have willpower or a whole lot of time and energy drinks.

3. Petscop: This enigmatic YouTube series masquerades as a children’s game walkthrough but soon takes a dark turn, revealing disturbing secrets about a fictional video game and its impact on a real family. Created by Tony Domenico, Petscop’s intricate plot and ambiguous ending have fueled endless speculation and fan theories. Be prepared for unsettling imagery and a narrative that will leave you piecing together the puzzle long after the credits roll. Ambiguous endings are my thing. I could spend years dissecting Petscop and still feel like I was missing something. This Creepypasta is more than a story or game; it is a community of like-minded individuals who, for the most part, are supportive and friendly. That’s a rarity among groups like these.

4. The Walten Files: Uncover the disturbing history of a fictional children’s entertainment company through VHS tapes, cryptic messages, and unsettling animations. Created by Martin Walls, this series explores themes of childhood trauma, corporate greed, and the dark side of nostalgia. It’s like Five Nights At Freddy’s but with a twist. Brace yourself for a complex narrative, unsettling imagery, and potential triggers related to child exploitation. If you want a deep dive into what it all means, I spent one obsessive couple of weeks watching, theorizing, and writing all about the disturbing videos.

5. Gemini Home Entertainment: Enter the world of VHS home videos filled with unsettling commercials, educational films with hidden messages, and cryptic messages pleading for help. If you are into alien conspiracies and like the podcast Welcome To Nightshade, this is the series for you. Created by Remy Abode, this series explores themes of isolation, technology addiction, and the potential dangers of artificial intelligence. Expect a slow burn with a heavy focus on atmosphere and subtle scares. The stand-alone episodes work together to weave a complex narrative you won’t soon forget. The body horror elements are particularly memorable.

6. The Monument Mythos: This collaborative storytelling project explores the chilling idea of ancient, reality-bending entities disguised as mundane monuments. Created by Alex Casanas, it is the alt-history of analog horror. Spanning multiple creators and platforms, the Mythos offers a vast, ever-expanding universe of unsettling stories and lore. Get ready to dive deep into rabbit holes of interconnected narratives and prepare to question everything you know about history and reality. Everything you thought you knew was a lie!

7. The Ningen: This internet legend tells the tale of a massive, humanoid creature lurking in the depths of the Pacific Ocean. While not strictly analog horror, the Ningen’s chilling image and unknown origins have captured the imagination of horror fans worldwide. One of the few analog horrors to take place in the depths of the mysterious ocean, it is a truly unique experience. Beware of deep sea nightmares and the vast, unknowable depths of the ocean. If you like cryptids and Kaiju, Ningen fills that space.

8. The Backrooms: This Creepypasta phenomenon imagines an endless labyrinth of randomly generated office buildings, hallways, and unsettling entities. Originating on 4chan, the Backrooms have spawned countless stories, fan art, and even video games, solidifying its place as a modern horror legend. It is an expansive universe told across multiple social media platforms, mediums, and locations. It has spawned endless stories and theories and will be an upcoming horror movie. Apple TV+’s Severance feels like it comes from the same liminal space in all the best ways. Prepare for claustrophobia, existential dread, and the unsettling feeling of being lost in an endless, inescapable maze.

9. Midwest Angelica: what would happen if an alien corpse dropped right into your backyard? This web series uses this as the starting point for the retro body horror story with stunning aesthetics. The massive dead body is initially experimented on with disastrous results. Middle America has to battle the unknown in this extraterrestrial cautionary tale as the contagion spreads with deadly and terrifying consequences. Come for the alien conspiracy, but stay for the gorgeous and unique look of the series.

10. The Trinity Desk Project: If you are a fan of history and like your surrealism heavily rooted in reality, this series from Alex Casanas is a solid pick. It has government conspiracies, nuclear experimentation, and spooky weirdness. For those who wanted more Oppenheimer, the father of the bomb, even makes an appearance of sorts. It’s, in many ways, the most plausible of all the analog horrors on this list. That makes it the perfect fit for those who want to believe and be caught up in this world.

11. Greylock Tapes: This analog story details the strange and horrifying events taking place around Mount Greylock, Massachusetts. From creator Rob Gavagan, this fairly new story features monsters called thoughtforms, which are straight out of your nightmares. Mad scientists tinker with things they shouldn’t, and things go south. It’s a tale as old as time, but the monsters and the horror elements mixed with real-life events elevate this web series. Here’s my full explanation of the series.

12. Hi I’m Mary Mary: What feels like a spiritual twin to Skinamarink, this web series from K. chronicles a young woman trapped in her house with no interaction with the outside world. Mary tweets and uploads videos that she takes on her camcorder, but she can not receive any messages from anyone outside the house. She is haunted by a mysterious woman, shadowy figures, and other bizarre things at night. It is a tense watch and unique among the stories here.

Grab your headphones, dim the lights, and prepare to be unsettled. This is the place for immersive horrors waiting to claim your soul or at least your mind. Remember, the scariest stories often lurk in the corners of the digital world, waiting to be discovered. Analog horror is where groundbreaking work is being done. It is a wildly creepy place where anything is possible, and everything can happen.